‘Roots’ Will Be Remade by The History Channel

The History channel has confirmed it will remake the 1977 ABC miniseries “Roots.”

“We look at this as a great opportunity to bring the rich layered story of ‘Roots’ to a new generation,” History’s executive vice president and general manager Dirk Hoogstra said in an email to the Journal.

Mark Wolper, son of the executive producer of the original miniseries David L. Wolper (who died in 2010), is set to executive produce the new eight hour miniseries. History has secured the rights to both Wolper’s miniseries and the book, “Roots: The Saga of an American Family,” written by author Alex Haley, which served as the basis for the original series. Haley, who also co-authored of “The Autobiography of Malcolm X,” died in 1992.

The 1977 show featured actors LeVar Burton, Olivia Cole, Ed Asner and John Amos and told the story of the African slave trade and American slavery.

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